Seattle Humane Society Launches Kitten Kindergarten

The Seattle Humane Society is launching the first Kitten Kindergarten course in Washington state, with classes starting on June 4, 2008. Open to kittens between the ages of 8 to 20 weeks, the class will provide lots of structured play-time, human handling and basic obedience training, such as teaching “Sit” and “Come.”

Instructor Jennifer Schneider, CPDT, said she’s excited to be partnering with an organization who does so much to elevate the status of cats in our community. Schneider, who has four cats, will focus her lessons on basic clicker-training and preventing unwanted behaviors in the youngsters. The goal of the class is to help the kittens become well-socialized, well-rounded pets without compromising their independence or the joie de vie that makes a kitten a kitten.

If your initial reaction to the concept of kitten kindergarten is, as mine was, one of skepticism, keep reading.

Copyright Dan Tripp

It turns out that kitten kindergarten classes date back at least 10 years. Most trainers give a veterinary behaviorist in Australia, Dr. Kersti Seksel, credit for creating the kitten kindergarten concept. But behaviorists and animal trainers everywhere have long known that just like puppies, kittens have a crucial socialization window and need early exposure to other animals, riding in cars, and walking on a leash, for them to be comfortable with these scenarios as adults. And if you think cats can’t be trained, you should check out cat agility sometime.

More and more veterinarians, private trainers and animal welfare organizations around the United States are starting to offer kitten classes. A quick Google search shows that kitten kindergarten courses are being offered in Denver, San Francisco, Columbus and many other cities throughout the United States.

And the more I think about it, the more sense it makes.

I have three great cats; two, Bynka and Shoja are four years old and are littermates. The elder cat, Kali, is twelve years old, but more than feisty enough to deal with the youngsters. They are all, of course, inside cats, who can’t tolerate a leash. (We really did try.) They all hate riding in the car, hate taking medication, hate going to the vet, would rather not deal with kids, and know that strange cats are the epitome of evil. In fact, even after three years, Kali is still not completely sure about her feline housemates.

Every one of these issues will be addressed in kitten kindergarten at the Seattle Humane Society. I wish my crew were young again, so that we could give the class a try. I know first-hand what a difference socializing and early training makes in the lives of dogs. Why shouldn’t the same be true for cats?

Seattle Humane Society Behavior Program Manger Emily Keegans says while kitten kindergarten might seem odd to the general public right now, in the not-so-distant future, these classes will likely be the norm. “Fifteen years ago puppy kindergarten was a novel idea,” Keegans points out, “and now it is very well-accepted as an important part of the training and socialization process for dogs.”

There is no question that the class will be lots of fun, for kittens and humans alike. If you have a kitten of the right age, or are thinking of adopting this summer, why not give it a try? You and your cat can only gain from the experience.